The Three Kingdoms Period of Korea

The Three Kingdoms Period of Korea, traditionally dated from 57 BCE to 668 CE, refers to the era in which three rival kingdoms, Goguryeo in the north, Baekje in the southwest and Silla in the southeast, competed for control of the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria, each developing centralized monarchies, Buddhist state religion and distinct artistic traditions. Goguryeo was the largest and most militarily powerful of the three for much of the period, repeatedly repelling massive invasions from Sui and early Tang China, most famously the Battle of Salsu in 612; Baekje maintained close cultural and diplomatic ties across the sea to Japan's Yamato court, transmitting Buddhism and continental learning; and Silla, initially the weakest, ultimately prevailed by allying with Tang China against its rivals. The period produced enduring monuments including Goguryeo's mountain fortresses and elaborately painted tomb chambers and Baekje's refined Buddhist sculpture. The period ends when Silla, having conquered Baekje in 660 and Goguryeo in 668, unified most of the peninsula under its own rule, opening the Unified Silla Period.